Drew Allar, Andy Kotelnicki's 'intentionally aggressive' offense look like perfect match

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — It's difficult to say exactly what former Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich might have done had he been the one calling plays when the Nittany Lions assumed possession with 0:32 remaining in the second quarter and the ball at their own 27-yard line, the scoreboard showing a seven-point lead. Perhaps Yurcich, who was fired by head coach James Franklin last November amid a third consecutive subpar season, would have lobbied for a ruthless approach that trusted the decision-making and deftness of quarterback Drew Allar, now a multi-year starter, and pushed the ball downfield knowing he still had one timeout at his disposal and the chance to gore West Virginia with two scores in quick succession. Perhaps the outcome winds up the same: a last-second touchdown from Allar to wide receiver Harrison Wallace III to break the game open and deflate the Mountaineer faithful.

Though it's impossible to rule that scenario out, frequent observers and fans of the Penn State program know better than to wonder about that possibility, to leave themselves open to the idea of Yurcich, whose 2023 offense was tied for 110th nationally in passes of 30-plus yards, invoking such militancy from such an adverse position on the field. The three-play, 73-yard lightning-fast drive, which included completions of 55 yards and 18 yards and ended with a beautiful back-shoulder touchdown from Allar to Wallace, was unquestionably the work of former Kansas offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, now the Nittany Lions' czar of creativity and guile. That he rushed his offense to the line of scrimmage and appeared to catch West Virginia unaware for a play that ended as the game's longest gain was Kotelnicki's pièce de résistance.